"A considerable drop-off" - Prize money difference between Novak Djokovic's Madrid 2019 triumph and Andrey Rublev's 2024 win called out by journalist

Tennis journalist Jon Wertheim recently spoke about the pay gap between Novak Djokovic and Andrey Rublev's Madrid Open title victories in 2019 and 2024, respectively. The American quoted the incentives allocated for both performances before hinting towards the prize money distribution in tennis failing to hit the mark.

Rublev overcame a mid-season slump at the Caja Magica last week to take home his second-career ATP Masters 1000 title. The Russian won two three-set battles against Carlos Alcaraz and Felix Auger-Aliassime en route to the triumph. For his efforts, however, he only received a measly €963,225 in prize money.

Djokovic, on the other hand, was in top form at the 2019 edition of the Madrid Open. The Serb didn't drop a single set in his campaign, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas and Dominic Thiem in the final and the semifinals, respectively, to seal the title. He was incentivized with €1,202,520 in prize money.

Andrey Rublev received €239,295 less than Novak Djokovic for getting through the same number of matches. Moreover, the men's singles tournament winning prize money went down from €1,105,265 to €963,225 over the last year, prompting contemplation from Jon Wertheim — a leading tennis journalist.

The 54-year-old claimed on his X (formerly Twitter) handle that while reforms in prize money distribution were previously welcomed by top pros, Andrey Rublev's 2024 Madrid Open title victory deserved more.

"In 2019, @DjokerNole won the Madrid event and earned €1,202,520...The other day, Rublev won Madrid and earned €963,225..." Jon Wertheim wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "Yes, top players nobly agreed to reallocate prize money downward... But this is a considerable drop-off, esp. given the overall sports economy..."

---

Since Novak Djokovic's 2019 Madrid Open triumph, lower-ranked players get significantly more prize money

Novak Djokovic hits a forehand at the 2019 Madrid Open.

For what it's worth, lower-ranked players get a more equitable share of the overall prize money pool at ATP Masters 1000 tournaments since 2019. When Novak Djokovic reigned supreme at the Caja Magica that year, men's singles players losing in the first round, second round, and third round received prize money of €23,790, €42,220, and €80,620, respectively (the tournament employed a draw size of 64 back then).

In 2024, the Masters-level event expanded to a two-week schedule, changing the draw size to 128. Men's singles players losing in the first round, second round, third round, and fourth round now receive €20,360, €30,255, €51,665 and €88,440, respectively. Moreover, prize money for losing in the first and second qualifying rounds has gone from €4,550 and €9,105 to €6,130 and €11,820, respectively.